What a week, huh?
NBC is bringing back 30 Rock for an hour-long special next month, in which Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, and Jack McBrayer will all return as their characters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Before you get too excited, though, there's a catch. The announcement says this special will "highlight new and returning programming" from NBCUniversal's networks, and Variety notes it will "double as an upfront special" for the company as part of its presentation to advertisers. In fact, the Reporter says NBCUniversal's chair of advertising and partnerships will actually be featured in the special, and the announcement says it will include guests from across the company's portfolio, as well.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
Still, executives producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock in a statement celebrated this as an "excuse to (remotely) work together again," adding, "to quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone." 30 Rock, which is set behind the scenes of a fictional NBC show and frequently mocked the network throughout its run, aired its series finale more than seven years ago.
This comes after NBC brought back Parks and Recreation for a scripted reunion special in April, although that was a fundraiser to raise money for Feeding America which also essentially functioned as a new episode of the show. The 30 Rock special is set to air without commercials on NBC on Thursday, July 16, and it will be rebroadcast on USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, and CNBC before heading to the company's streaming service Peacock. So for all those who want to go to there, next month's your chance.
